"She Moved Through the Fair" or "She Moves Through the Fair" is based on a traditional Irish folk song. Its original author is unknown. The song, a folk staple, has been performed by many artistes, and its haunting tune and lyrics will be familiar to many. Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ...

The song was first collected in Donegal by Padraic Colum and Herbert Hughes, and published by Boosey & Hawkes in London in a work entitled Irish country songs in 1909, though some claim it dates back to medieval times. The lyrics, except for the last verse, were composed by Padraic Colum, and the tune was written down by Herbert Hughes. Most modern arrangements of the song can be traced to the recording by Fairport Convention in 1968, who adopted the style of the song from the travelling singer Margaret Barry. Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. ... Padraic Colum, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1959 Padraic Colum (December 8, 1881 - January 11, 1972) was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer and collector of folklore. ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Padraic Colum, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1959 Padraic Colum (December 8, 1881 - January 11, 1972) was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer and collector of folklore. ... Cover of Heyday: BBC Radio Sessions 1968-1969. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...

Lyrics

Whilst subject to certain variations (as noted below) the lyrics are as follows:

My young love said to me my mother won't mind
And my father won't slight you for your lack of kind
And she laid her hand on me and this she did say
It will not be long now 'til our wedding Day

And she went away from me, she moved through the fair
And fondly I watched her move here and move there
And then she went onward, just one star awake
Like the swan in the evening moves over the lake

The people were saying no two e'er were wed
But one had a sorrow that never was said
And I smiled as she passed with her goods and her gear
And that was the last that I saw of my dear

Last night she came to me, my dead love came in
So softly she came her feet made no din
And she laid her hand on me and this she did say
It will not be long now 'til our wedding day

Versions

Many modern versions leave out verse three.

The second line of the first verse has two versions:

And my father won´t slight you for your lack of kine

And my father won´t slight you for your lack of kind

Kine is a collective noun for cattle, whereas kind in this sense refers to general goods and property, as in the same sense that one would say "payment in kind" (as opposed to implying that the suitor is not pleasant or genteel). Either way the line implies that the father won't object to the marriage because the suitor is not rich. Both versions are normally considered correct.

"My dead love" in verse four is sometimes sung as "my dear love" or "my own love". This may be:

• Where verse three is sung, because it is already implied that she is dead, or
• When the song is sung on a happy occasion, such as a wedding, to remove the tragic aspect

Both Sinéad O'Connor's version (as used in the soundtrack of the film Michael Collins) and the one by Trees change the gender of the pronouns and so the song became He Moved Through The Fair although both versions still appear as "She Moved Through The Fair" on their respective album sleeves. Sinéad Marie Bernadette OConnor (born December 8, 1966) is an Irish singer and songwriter. ... Michael Collins is a semi-fictitious film made in 1996 about Michael Collins, the Irish patriot and revolutionary who died in the Irish civil war. ... Trees (Bias Boshell is third from the left) This article is about the British folk band. ...

"Belfast Child" by Simple Minds

In 1989 Simple Minds recorded a song called "Belfast Child", which made it to No. 1 in the UK Charts. This song uses the traditional tune associated with "She Moved Through The Fair", but with completely different words. The song may be found on their album Street Fighting Years. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Simple Minds are a Scottish New Wave/rock band which had their greatest worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... Street Fighting Years is an album by the Simple Minds, released in 1989 (see 1989 in music). ...

Recorded by

Artistes who have recorded "She Moved Through The Fair" (with the original words) include:

• All About Eve
• Annwn
• B-Tribe
• Patrick Ball
• Bedlam
• Mary Black
• Luka Bloom
• Boyzone
• Máire Brennan
• Sarah Brightman
• Anne Briggs
• Kim Buchanan
• Donna Burke
• Celtic Muse
• Celtic Woman
• The Chieftains
• Charlotte Church
• Bruce Coughlan and Tiller's Folly
• Sandy Denny
• Johnny Dickinson
• Donovan
• Cynthia Lynn Douglass
• Enter the Haggis
• Fiddlesticks
• Orlagh Fallon
• James Galway
• Art Garfunkel
• Davy Graham
• Green Man
• Margo Hennebach
• Bert Jansch
• The King's Singers
• Amy Kortuem
• Steven Laszcz
• Louis Lynch
• John Martyn
• John McCormack
• Shane MacGowan
• Loreena McKennitt
• Méav Ní Mhaolchatha
• Van Morrison
• Sinéad O'Connor
• Terry Oldfield
• Pentangle
• Al Petteway and Amy White
• The Planets
• Maggie Reilly
• Revolving Doris
• Andreas Scholl
• Shenanigan
• Sound Poets
• Stark Raven
• Deirdre Shannon
• Feargal Sharkey
• Alain Stivell
• Richard Thompson
• Trees
• Vali Talbot
• Hayley Westenra
• Lothlorien
• Marianne Faithful

All About Eve on Top Of The Pops in 1988. ... Mary Black is an Irish singer. ... Luka Bloom, born Barry Moore, is an accomplished Irish folk-rock singer-songwriter. ... Boyzone were an Irish boy band (pop group) of the 1990s. ... Máire Ní Bhraonáin, better known as Máire Brennan (born August 4, 1952, Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland), is a Celtic folk singer, best known for her work with the band Clannad. ... Sarah Brightman in La Luna: Live in Concert (2001) Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English soprano and actress. ... Anne Briggs 1973 album Sing a Song For You Anne Patricia Briggs (born 1944), known as Anne Briggs, is an English folk singer. ... This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Donna Burke, a singer and narrator, was born in Perth, Australia, and moved to Tokyo, Japan in 1996. ... Celtic Woman is a musical group. ... The Chieftains are an Irish musical group founded in 1962, known for performing and popularizing Irish traditional music. ... Charlotte Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed on February 21, 1986) is a Welsh pop singer who rose to international fame in childhood as a popular classical singer. ... This article lacks information on the importance of the subject matter. ... Sandy Denny (born Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny, January 6, 1947, Wimbledon, London, England, died April 21, 1978) was a British singer and songwriter. ... Donovan Philips Leitch (usually known simply as Donovan) (born May 10, 1946, in Maryhill, Glasgow) is a Scottish musician. ... Enter the Haggis is a Canadian world celtic rock band based in Toronto, Canada. ... James Galway Sir James Galway (born December 8, 1939) is an Northern Ireland-born flute player from Belfast, often called The Man With the Golden Flute. ... Art Garfunkel in Bad Timing (1980) Arthur Ira Garfunkel is an American singer and actor, best known as half of the folk duo Simon and Garfunkel. ... Davey Graham (originally Davy Graham, b. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... The Kings Singers are a famous a cappella group, consisting of two countertenors, two tenors, a baritone and a bass. ... John Martyn, Dublin, 2006 John Martyn (born September 11, 1948) is a singer-songwriter. ... John McCormack John McCormack (14 June 1884 - 16 September 1945), was a world-famous Irish-American tenor in the fields of opera and popular music, and renowned for his flawless diction and superb breath control. ... Shane MacGowan on the cover of the 1994 album The Snake by Shane MacGowan and The Popes. ... Loreena McKennitt Loreena McKennitt live on stage Loreena McKennitt, C.M., (b. ... Méav Ní Mhaolchatha is a singer of traditional Irish music. ... George Ivan Van Morrison (born August 31, 1945) is a singer and songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... Sinéad Marie Bernadette OConnor (born December 8, 1966) is an Irish singer and songwriter. ... Terry Oldfield Terry Oldfield (born 1949) is a British Composer. ... Pentangle is a British folk-rock band. ... Maggie Reilly Maggie Reilly is a Scottish vocalist (b. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Born into the Gilsenan family of County Meath, Ireland, Deirdre Shannon was the middle child of five siblings. ... Feargal Sharkey (born Sean Feargal Sharkey on August 13, 1958) is a Northern Irish singer who first found fame as the lead singer of pop punk band The Undertones. ... Alan Stivell (born Alan Cochevelou January 6, 1944) is a Breton musician from the town of Gourin. ... Richard Thompson (born 3 April 1949) is a British musician, best known for his guitar playing and songwriting. ... Trees (Bias Boshell is third from the left) This article is about the British folk band. ... Hayley Dee Westenra (born April 10, 1987 in Christchurch, New Zealand) is a New Zealand soprano who has released 2 successful albums, one of which- Pure- reached #1 on the UK classical charts and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. ... Marianne Faithfull on the cover of her album A Secret Life Marianne Faithfull (born December 29, 1946) is a British singer who began her career in 1964 (see 1964 in music) with As Tears Go By, a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. ...

See also

A site including the lyrics and a MIDI version of the song is here: [1]. Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a system designed to transmit information between electronic musical instruments. ...